The Walls of Ston are the longest complete fortress system in Europe (and second in the world behind the Great Wall of China) and they are known colloquially as ‘The Great Wall of Croatia‘. Reaching over 4 miles originally, the walls protected and encircled the city of Ston in Croatia’s Republic of Ragusa and date back to the 14th century. Fans of Game of Thrones may recognize the Walls of Ston as the fortifications protecting King’s Landing.
The limestone walls are shaped like an irregular pentagon. They were originally built with 40 towers and 5 fortresses although only 20 of the towers survive today. Within the walls, streets are laid out in a perpendicular design.
After almost 50 years of restoration projects (for authenticity, using the same or similar techniques as the original builders used), the walls reopened in 2009. They attract a growing number of tourists, partly to see some of the best defensive walls and fortresses in Europe and partly for arguably the most stunning views of the Adriatic Sea you’ll find along the Dalmatian coast.
In Ston you can also stop at a number of hillside restaurants serving what are claimed to be some of the best oysters in the world, eaten literally meters from where they are farmed.
This was a really great outing. We had a tour guide take us around Ston and tell us about the history and the oyster farming. They have several festivals here each year. After that many of our friends from the boat took to the great wall. We hiked up to one of the highest points were the views were just spectacular I highly recommend it. The Wall is in incredible shape for being built in the 14th century. Some of our friends on the boat followed the wall all the way over to Small Ston.
And then there's Marylyn!
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